Caught In the Middle
by Sparkiebunny
Summary: When a grudge against Gibbs leaves Tony caught in the middle, the team must race to find him...before it's too late. Some shameless Hurt!Tony and PapaGibbs.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: First multi-chapter FanFic. Forgive any incorrect info when it comes to the technical jargon and medical facts. The prologue is a bit slow, as its purpose is just to set up a back story, but don't worry. The story picks up quickly in the next chapter. **

* * *

Aram Salir was a man with a grudge. Ever since his weapons exchange with an American dealer went south a few months ago, he carried a vicious hate for the organization that shut him down. He carried that hate for NCIS.

**. . .**

The exchange happened in a secluded shipyard. It was a simple task. Load the weapons onto their cargo ship and hand over the suitcase of money. A simple deal for a simple objective. Salir and his men had one goal…one mission statement for their little task force. Rid the world of the weak and corrupt. There were various methods of doing so, and they had practiced many of them. From assassinations of corrupt political figures to biological weaponry taking out entire towns, Salir's plans were always executed perfectly. Except this one.

NCIS had caught wind of the deal and came to the site. It was utter chaos as guns were fired and people fled. Salir was crouching behind a large metal canister, motioning for his brother- his only brother, his last remaining family- to come next to him and hide. His brother was almost there when a man with gray hair and icy blue eyes shot him twice on the chest. In shock, Salir watched his brother rattle out his final breaths before he sprinted away.

A clever man, Salir evaded capture easily, and the authorities were left with no leads. Salir laid low, intent on carrying out his objective. But another thing motivated Salir now. Revenge. The gray-haired man would pay for what he did. And NCIS would pay for setting him back on his plans. He had the resources. He would study. He would lurk in the shadows until the time came. And when it did, he would have his revenge.


	2. Chapter 1

**AN1: I'm glad to see so many people excited about this story! Thanks for the reviews; they made my day **** I'll try to update ASAP with each chapter.**

**AN2: Sorry my chapters aren't very long. I'm having some trouble adjusting to longer-length pieces, but I hope you aren't bothered too much by it.**

* * *

Tony dropped his pen on his desk with a flourish of triumph. He wearily smiled at the newly finished and organized stack of paperwork. Then, he looked at the case file sitting on Gibb's desk. ARAM SALIR. With a slightly dejected shake of his head, Tony grabbed his coat. _We came so close_, he thought bitterly, recalling the events at the shipyard. _All this time and still no leads_. He sighed. _Oh well…he'll resurface eventually. I just hope it's sooner rather than later._

Glancing at his watch, he grabbed his coat and walked toward the elevator. He loved working late at night. The silence and emptiness intensified his focus.

As he stepped inside the elevator, the hair on the back of his neck stood up. There was no light source in the small space, so Tony whipped around and blindly lashed out. His fists connected with solid muscle. His attacker struck him on the back of the head, and Tony barely had time to comprehend what was happening as he crumpled to the floor.

**. . .**

"DiNozzo still isn't here?" Gibbs shouted across the bullpen.

"I have yet to see him and his cell's going straight to voicemail," Ziva replied.

"If he's not here in an hour, he's fired," Gibbs said grumpily. He naturally wasn't serious, but he was pissed off. But there was more to it than that. Though he would never admit it, even to himself, he was worried. It wasn't like Tony to take off and not even call in. Gibbs's gut was churning.

He sat down at his desk and opened his email, hoping to find something from Tony explaining his absence. Instead, there was a new message titled "No Subject" from "Unknown". He opened it and froze. McGee and Ziva exchanged glances, sensing their boss's change in demeanor as he stared at his computer screen.

"McGee, I need you to find out who sent this email," Gibbs said stonily.

A bit confused, McGee walked over to the desk and read:

**If you want to see your agent again, go down to the laboratory computer at 1200 and await my communication.**

His eyes widened and he began rapidly typing. "The computer this was sent from was registered to-" McGee's sharp intake of breath made everyone stare at him intently.

"Who, McGee?!" Gibbs barked.

"It's registered to Aram Salir."

Everyone stiffened. Ziva said quietly, "What do we do?"

Gibbs took a deep breath and glanced at his watch. 11:53.

"We wait."

**. . .**

"Were you able to tap into the computer?" Salir asked.

"It took a lot of effort on our part…They have lots of firewalls and security. Though they are nowhere near as protected as we are," the man said with a smug smile. "But we did it. We now have access."

"Good. I think we are ready to set our plan into motion."

**. . .**

Tony slowly blinked his eyes open. He looked around and saw he was in a dark, dungeon-like room. There was a chair in the middle of the room and a desk shoved in the corner, out of the way. His hands were tied in front of him, but not too tightly. It seemed his captor had hastily dumped him in the room. Tony quickly felt in his pockets for his gun. It was gone. He did, however, feel his phone. _They must've been in a hurry and not searched me thoroughly. But they'll be back I'm sure. They're like Arnold freaking Schwarzenegger._

He began dialing, when he heard voices. They were getting louder. They were coming toward the room. Using the phone now was risky and wouldn't accomplish much. After all, he had no idea where he was or even who had taken him. Though his aching body protested the movement, Tony pulled himself over to the desk, shutting his phone off and shoving it in a drawer. He hoped that would come in use later. He crawled back to his original position and settled, just as a man walked in the room.

Tony glared at the face before him. "Tony! Glad to see you're awake!"

"Glad to be awake, Salir. You mind telling me what the _hell_ I'm doing here?"

In a swift motion, Salir slammed his fist into Tony's temple. Black dots appeared in Tony's vision.

"I suggest you learn some manners, Agent DiNozzo. Quickly."

Tony made no response, as his vision was still swimming. Salir smiled.

"I think we are ready to begin."


	3. Chapter 2

**AN: Thanks for the reviews! Please keep them coming!**

* * *

The screen popped to life as Gibbs's face appeared.

_He looks tired_, Tony thought dimly. _Someone should refill his coffee_.

"Well, well, well, Agent Gibbs. It's quite the situation we find ourselves in. I had originally intended for _this_," Salir grabbed a fistful of Tony's hair and yanked his head up. "To be _you_. But after further contemplation, I realized how much more effective my new method would be." Salir peered down at Tony, a sadistic grin on his lips. "After careful consideration, I've decided that watching your agent suffer through torture will damage you much more than torturing _you_ ever would. Am I correct in this conclusion?"

Stony-faced, Gibbs growled, "What do you want?"

"Tut-tut, Agent Gibbs, you really must learn to pay attention…I want nothing from you. Only the satisfaction of knowing you're in pain. To do that, Agent DiNozzo will play an integral role."

"You bastard. I-"

"Now, now, Agent," interrupted Salir. "I wouldn't say anything to upset me. Things could get quite painful for Agent DiNozzo here. Understand?"

Gibbs was silent.

"Good. Shall we begin?"

Tony took a deep breath. Well, at least as deep as he could with the gag shoved in his mouth. He set his eyes in a solid stare, preparing himself for what was about to happen. He hated being in such a helpless position, but the least he could do is stay strong in front of his boss.

The first blow connected with Tony's jaw. He felt a little blood in his mouth, but swallowed it down. The next was a shot to his stomach. Though it stung, it was nothing he couldn't handle. Salir continued this pattern. Face, stomach, face, stomach, face stomach. Tony kept his gaze steady on Salir.

"Such stoic silence, Agent DiNozzo…I'm afraid I don't approve," he said with a sneer. He wrenched Tony up by the shoulder, and a _pop_ reverberated off the walls.

Gibbs flinched as the noise resounded in his ears.

Tony sucked in a quick breath, pinching his eyes closed.

"There we go, Mr. DiNozzo. That is what I like to hear." A sick smile played on his lips. He threw Tony to the floor, delivering a swift kick to his ribs. A loud _crack_ emitted from Tony's abdomen, sending shivers up his spine. _How clichéd_, Tony thought. _He's wearing steel-toed boots._

The beating continued, increasing in intensity. Tony's mind numbed. Of course, that could be due to the constant kicks to his skull. Or perhaps it was the repercussions of being slammed against the wall and floor. That might have something to do with it.

He was still conscious, but felt somehow…disconnected. He could feel the pain as the blows rained down on him, but it was dulled, slower. He was only vaguely aware of his own presence.

His eyes were glassy, staring.

Salir yanked him up by his bad shoulder and Tony couldn't suppress his groan. Examining the shoulder, Salir said, "I guess we should fix that, shouldn't we?"

Tony glared. Hoisting up Tony, who could hardly stand, Salir half carried him to the wall. He placed Tony's shoulder against it, back perpendicular to the cool stone. Immobilizing his arm and torso, Salir jerked Tony toward him, before shoving him against the wall with all his strength. Tony had a moment to process what was about to happen, but all he could do was hold his breath and brace himself for what was to come. His shoulder, as intended, was the first part to make contact. It violently popped back into its socket. Tony fell to his knees, a small whimper escaping him. Any strength that he had left whooshed out of his body as he collapsed to the floor.

**. . .**

Salir grabbed a towel and began methodically wiping Tony's blood off his hands.

"That was Round 1, Agent Gibbs. There will be more. That was simply to ease us all into it. I'll give you some time to pathetically attempt to locate us, which you will find is impossible. Then, I will connect with you again. Until then, Agent Gibbs." Salir gave a mock salute, and before Gibbs could respond, the screen went blank.

**. . .**

Gibbs's mind was reeling. _This psycho just beat the shit out of Tony…and apparently there's more to come_. Gibbs was amazed Tony had managed to stay conscious for so long. Not only despite the pain, but the numerous blows to his head. He definitely had a concussion…it was just a matter of how severe. But that was probably the least of his injuries. Gibbs recalled the sickening _crack_ that emitted from Tony's ribs as Salir slammed his steel-toed boot into them. Shaking off the image, Gibbs picked up his phone and dialed.

"McGee. Ziva. Abby's lab. Now." He swiftly hung up, praying that McGee could put that computer brain of his to work, and the rest of the team could work efficiently so they could find Tony…before Round 2.

**. . .**

Tony was acutely aware of two things. Pain and embarrassment. His face and clothes were drenched with a mixture of sweat and blood and every breath brought a sharp sting in his whole body. There was the source of his pain. And he already knew why he was embarrassed. _I mean, come on. It's bad enough getting my ass kicked by some terrorist scumbag, but to have my boss watching? That's downright humiliating._

He pushed the thought out of his mind and tried to prop himself up. After a few painful minutes, Tony was sitting (though not comfortably) against the wall. He took in his surroundings. He was in the same room as before, though now it had streaks of blood on the floor.

_Damn. This looks like a scene from "Hostel". God the sequel to that was terrible. That dumbass kid-_ Tony's thoughts were interrupted by his captor's heavy footsteps in the doorway

"Hello, Agent DiNozzo! Welcome back. Did you enjoy my little presentation? I think your friend Mr. Gibbs found it rather unnerving. But he was smart. He kept his mouth shut, which made things much less unpleasant for you than it could have been."

"Sure didn't feel it."

"Oh, you just wait. Things will get plenty worse. But alas, patience is a virtue. We mustn't be too premature."

"You're the orchestrator of all this, right?"

"Why yes, thank you for noticing," Salir said with a sneer.

"So is the girl here, too? Are you torturing her as well?"

Salir's eyes twinkled mischievously as he said, "I'm no fool, Mr. DiNozzo. If I tell you now, you'll try to convey the information to your boss. I will only say that no, the girl isn't being tortured. Our resources are being used on _you_ for that."

Tony leered at the man and said, "So how long does this go on for?"

"I haven't quite decided yet. More than likely, I'll kill you before the package is delivered."

"What package? You mean Emily?"

Salir's lips curled into an evil smile. "You catch on quick, Mr. DiNozzo. I have some arrangements to make before we contact Agent Gibbs. I suggest you try to rest. For Round 2, you will most definitely need your strength."

With that, Salir strolled out of the room, leaving Tony behind to ponder his fate.

**. . .**

"I can't get a trace on the IP address. Salir must have put a block on it," McGee said dejectedly.

"Dammit. Ok, just keep working on it, McGee. Give me whatever you can."

"I'll try, Boss."

"Ziva," Gibbs shouted. "Any luck with DiNozzo's neighbors?"

"The elderly woman next door said Tony hasn't come around since he left for work yesterday. His car is in the garage and security cameras show him coming in around 2300 and packing up around 0200. He got on the elevator and then just…disappeared."

"What do you mean _disappeared_, Ziva?!"

"I mean he got on the elevator, and that's we're we lose him. He's not on any other footage."

"Pull the feed from when he was here."

Gibbs's eyes narrowed as he watched Tony at his desk, working diligently. Ziva fast-forwarded the video until it showed Tony getting on the elevator. The doors shut, and she paused it. "See? Nothing."

"Back it up to the point right before DiNozzo gets onto the elevator.

Ziva did so. "Stop it! Right there! Back it up again!" Gibbs squinted at the screen and pointed to the corner of the elevator. It was mostly gray, but still visible. He grabbed the remote and put the video in slow motion. His finger followed the dark area in the corner.

Everyone gasped.

They all saw it now. The gray mass shifted. It was a brief movement, fleeting. But it was there.

"There was someone in the elevator…waiting," Gibbs stated. The rest of the team just stared at the tiny Tony DiNozzo on the screen, desperately hoping that wherever he was, he would last long enough for them to find him.


	4. Chapter 3

**AN1: Sorry to those of you who aren't or weren't getting alerts. I'm wasn't getting anything in my inbox either until this morning…Hopefully the problem has cleared itself up…**

**AN2: Thank you all so much for your reviews! Especially BWBW- Good luck with that soccer team! Shout out to everyone else who reviewed as well! ****angeleyes46****, ****combatcrazy****, Ann, , ****, ****flyboyfan23****, ILoveMyCousin, ****BnBfanatic****, ****NickTonyK****, AgentDiNozzo13.**

**Thank you all!**

_**Warning: Hurt!Tony ahead (*evil grin*)**_

* * *

Tony was awakened by a sharp punch to his already damaged ribs. He groaned and opened his eyes. He didn't even remember falling asleep. _That can't be good…maybe I have a concussion. _Who was he kidding? He knew he had a concussion. He just wasn't sure how serious it was. _Oh well. I have bigger things to worry about._

"It is time to begin preparations for Round 2, Mr. DiNozzo," Salir said. "I trust you have gotten enough rest?"

"Yeah, I had a great little catnap. Thanks for asking," Tony replied sarcastically.

Anger flashed momentarily in Salir's eyes, but was replaced by an evil grin. "Let's get started. We don't have much time before we contact your boss." He roughly yanked Tony up and threw him onto the chair. He untied his hands and retied them behind Tony's back.

"This is it? Just more poundage? Man, that's not even original," Tony said.

"Oh, don't worry, Agent DiNozzo. I have more than _that_ planned." He shouted to one of his men and a white machine was carried in. Two small circular pads with wires attached dangled menacingly from the machine. "Take his shirt off," Salir ordered his men. With a smooth tear, the tattered remnants of Tony's shirt were thrown on the ground.

"Geez, buy a girl a drink first!" Tony said with a smile. He wasn't going to make this easy. He wasn't going to give them the satisfaction.

"You make your jokes while you still can, Agent DiNozzo. In a few minutes, the only sounds coming from you will be screams of agony."

**. . .**

Gibbs and the rest of the team gathered around Abby's monitor, waiting for communication from their enemy. The room was tense. Abby was visibly shaking and holding on to Ducky for support. Gibbs had asked Ducky to come down so he could assess Tony's injuries from what they could see on the screen. But if he was being honest with himself, Ducky knew he would be there whether he was needed or not. He longed to see the face of the young agent who made his and everyone else's day brighter. _What I wouldn't give to hear one of Anthony's movie quotes right now._

They had spent the last hour trying to find the connection between Salir and Emily Loker. Emily was the teenage daughter of Stephan Loker, a prominent businessman and wealthy entrepreneur. Emily had been kidnapped nearly a week ago, and a few leads connected the kidnapping to Aram Salir's terrorist group, but other than that, nothing further was found. Gibbs's gut told him Salir had the girl, but without concrete evidence, nothing could be done. It was their hope that if they found a connection, they would have something to go on, and be one step closer to finding Tony…but their research found nothing new.

An image opened on the screen and everyone gasped. It appeared Tony's injuries had only gotten worse. He was sitting on a chair, hands tied behind him. The previously dislocated shoulder was a little swollen, and looked like one big bruise. The entire joint was a mass of black and blue. His facial swelling had gone down minutely only to be replaced by extreme bruising. There was a fairly deep cut on the side of his nose where it had been broken, and a gash across his temple. Blood covered the entire left side of his head. Most of it seemed dry, but a few wounds were still seeping. His chest was a canvas of bruises, along with a few cuts. It was obvious he had some broken ribs. Those were simply some of the visible injuries. _Lord knows how much internal damage there is_, Ducky thought worriedly.

After the initial shock of Tony's appearance, the team looked more closely at the scene. Tony was gagged with what looked like part of his T-shirt. There was a box-shaped, white machine of some sort, with wires leading to electrode-like pads. There were two pads, one on each side of Tony's chest.

_That doesn't look good_, thought Gibbs.

"Hello, Agent Gibbs. I see you've invited a few others to watch the show. Wonderful! The more the merrier. I assume you informed them of the no-talking rule?" Salir said cheerfully.

Gibbs solemnly nodded. He had told everyone a few minutes ago that it would be difficult, but they had to stay quiet…for Tony's sake.

"Thank you. That saves me some time. In case you were wondering, _this_-" Salir motioned to the machine, "will deliver shocks to our agent here. As you can see, the dial goes from 1 to 10. When the dial reaches 10, the machine will release a shock powerful enough to stop Agent DiNozzo's heart. If he makes it that high, that is. I've used this machine on many people, and I have yet to see anyone make it to 10. They all seem to pass out or die before I have the chance. It's a shame, really."

Gibbs said darkly, "Why bother? He means nothing to me. Just another employee. I can have him replaced within the hour. What's the point of all this? _I don't care_." Gibbs inwardly winced as he saw the hurt in Tony's eyes. _Please understand, DiNozzo. I'm trying to save your life._

"Ah, valiant effort, Agent Gibbs," Salir said with a chuckle. "But I'm not an imbecile. I know how attached you are to Mr. DiNozzo here, and I'm not about to let your pathetically unconvincing speech ruin all I've worked for. But I do appreciate the effort." Salir smiled. "Let's begin, shall we?"

He put the dial at 3 and said, "We'll start him off easy."

Tony's face pinched in pain as the shock hit him. _This isn't terrible…I can handle it. I'm not going to scream_, he said to himself.

The dial went up to 4. Then 5. Then 6. Tony's face was stark white and his entire body was trembling. But still he hadn't screamed. Gibbs clenched his fists as Salim's fingers began to turn the dial.

"No! Please, no more!" Abby leapt forward in front of the screen, her face soaked with tears and eyes swollen and red from crying.

Gibbs cursed silently to himself. He shouldn't have let her in here. It was too much. She couldn't handle it. He should have known better.

Salir sneered. "That little outburst just cost Agent DiNozzo 2 levels." His hand jerked the dial up to 8.

Tony's body exploded in pain. His mind was gone. He didn't know who he was or where he was. All he knew was the burning that enveloped his body. His only semi-coherent thought was: _Don't scream. Don't scream_.

After a few seconds…or maybe it was minutes. Hell, maybe it was years…the pain began to subside. His limbs were jerking of their own accord and his eyes were flicking around, struggling to see anything but black and white dots all over. His breath came in erratic gasps, each one more painful than the last as they shifted his damaged ribcage.

"Trying to be strong, Agent DiNozzo? Admirable…but pointless nonetheless. You _will_ scream. When I turn this dial to 9, you will scream like you never have before and then you will more-than-likely die. Are you ready, Agent DiNozzo?"

Gibbs held his breath and clenched his fists. _Oh God, Tony. I'm so sorry_. He clenched his fist over his mouth as Salim twisted the dial.

Tony's entire body, from his insides to his fingertips, erupted in a pain he had never known. Agony overcame him, attacking from all directions and angles. He knew nothing. He was nothing. Oddly enough, it was the pain that kept him conscious. He needed something, _anything_, to hold on to. All there was was pain. In the distance, he thought he heard muffled screaming and wondered if he was having an out-of-body experience. But no, he wasn't. He was the one screaming and the pain was so intense, it was detaching him from his own senses. It had to end soon. He couldn't take it.

Abby was semi-collapsed on Ducky's shoulder, shamelessly sobbing. Ziva's eyes were full of tears as she stood unmoving. McGee was breathing heavily, leaning on the chair next to him. Ducky's eyes were full of sadness and his hands trembled slightly as he held Abby.

Gibbs stood. His face had lost its color and his hands were clasped behind his back, knuckles white. His piercing blue eyes were fixed on the pale figure on the screen, who was shaking uncontrollably. The muffled screams of his agent were echoing in his head.

Tony felt trapped in a haze of pain. It had dulled, but was still an intense ache…better than feeling like white-hot knives piercing you everywhere. His mind and vision had returned to him, though both were a bit fuzzy. He could vaguely make out Gibbs's face on the screen in front of him.

"Have you had enough yet, Agent DiNozzo? Is the pain too much? Should I end it? All you have to say is yes, Agent DiNozzo. Ask me to turn the dial up one more and your pain will end." Salir's fingers inched toward the dial.

Tony took a moment to get some air into his lungs, and then looked right at Salir…Well, actually, there were two Salirs at the moment, but he was pretty sure he had the right one.

Gibbs held his breath as he watched Tony lift his head and look at his captor.

"Go…to…hell."

_Atta boy, DiNozzo_, Gibbs thought to himself. He was beyond relieved to hear his agent's voice.

All that pain and he was still fighting.

Salir's mouth formed a tight line. He withdrew his hand from the dial, walked around behind Tony, and slammed his elbow into the back of Tony's head. Tony slumped forward, unconscious.

Salir walked up to the monitor, all traces of amusement gone from his face. He looked directly at Gibbs.

"One hour." The screen went blank.


	5. Chapter 4

** AN: Big thanks to ****flyboyfan23****, ****UnstoppableForce****, ****BnBfanatic****, ****angeleyes46****, ****combatcrazy****, ****Tivalilly****, daddy, and NCISFAN for your reviews! Reviews really do keep the muse alive. **

* * *

"Ziva, McGee, go interview the security guard and anyone else who might've been around when they took Tony," Gibbs ordered emotionlessly.

They both stared at him for a moment. "Now!" Gibbs shouted. They scurried off and Gibbs stormed out. He kept walking until he reached his desk. He was alone in the bullpen. It was so...empty. He sat at his desk and buried his face in his hands. He looked up at Tony's empty desk.

"Dammit!" he shouted, sweeping his arms across his desk, dumping the contents on the floor. _We're going to find you, DiNozzo…I don't know how, but we're going to find you._

**. . .**

Ziva and McGee strolled into the bullpen. "No one saw anything, Boss. And the Tech Department called back. They couldn't clean up the video enough to identify the man in the elevator."

Gibbs froze. _Call back…_

"McGee, is there any way you can back trace the connection to Salir's computer to allow us to communicate with Tony?"

McGee was a little flustered. "Well, um, I suppose…in theory…"

"Do it. Now."

McGee rushed down to the lab. Ziva and Gibbs were hot on his heels.

Abby and Ducky were still in the lab. Abby had composed herself and Ducky was talking to her quietly. They both looked up as the rest of the team walked in. Abby peered curiously over McGee's shoulder as he worked.

"Are you trying to do a back trace?" she asked.

"Yup," McGee replied.

"Let me help," Abby said. She and McGee were both furiously typing in no time. After a few minutes, there was a beep and Abby and McGee smiled.

"Got it, Boss."

**. . .**

Tony woke up blearily. He heard voices through the fog in his head. _Wake up, DiNozzo. Come on, this could be important_, he told himself. Tony motivated himself to sit up, which was made easier without the rope around his wrists. It seemed to have been cut off. He listened more closely. Salir was muttering to someone.

"…at the dock…Yes, Peters…ransom…chopper…waiting…" Salir was saying.

Tony was struggling to understand what he had heard, when the screen in front of him turned on. _What the- _McGee's face appeared, along with Abby and the rest of the team. _Great. Now I'm hallucinating._

"Tony! Tony!" McGee shouted. Tony's eyes were unfocused and wandering. "Over here, Tony! Look at me!"

"No. Go away. You're just a hallucination," Tony slurred.

"Halluci- What? This is us, Tony. Come on, look!"

Tony turned his head away from the screen. "Don't believe you."

Gibbs pushed McGee out of the way. "Hey! DiNozzo!"

At the sound of Gibbs's voice, Tony's head shot up and he looked at the face on the screen. "B-Boss?" Tony questioned cautiously. He wasn't sure of his own senses.

"Who else would it be, DiNozzo? You need to tell us where you are."

"Dunno, Boss. They knocked me out in the elevator, then I think we went through the ventilator shafts. Next thing I knew, I was waking up here."

"Is there anything you can tell us? Any background noises? Any way we can trace you?"

Tony paused for a moment to think. "My cell phone! I hid it!"

"That's great, Tony. Where is it?"

"Um…in the desk. I'll turn it on. But first, I think I have an idea of what's going on with Salir's plan. He kidnapped Emily Loker so they could work out some kind of ransom deal. I heard Salir on the phone. He said something about a helicopter and waiting. I'm not sure what it all means, but whatever's going on has something to do with someone named Peter and is taking place on some dock. Maybe McGee could-" Tony cut off and his head jerked toward the doorway.

"Tony?" Gibbs said. "Hey, DiNozzo, what's going on?"

Next thing he saw, Salir came flying through the door. He looked at the screen, then back at Tony, his eyes blazing with rage.

"Son of a bitch!" Salir shouted. He punched Tony in the face and threw him out of the chair. Picking up the chair with ease, he swung it around, smashing the monitor. He turned back to Tony, black eyes full of hate.

"You will pay for that, Agent DiNozzo. With your life."

**. . .**

Gibbs was panicked. He would never under any circumstances admit it, but he was panicking big-time.

"Did you get a trace on DiNozzo's cell?" Gibbs asked, though he already knew the answer.

"He never turned it on...he didn't have the chance…" McGee said quietly.

"I want to know the location of every dock within a 200 mile radius. If Salir's planning an exchange, he's going to want it close to home. If we find the exchange site and get the girl, we're one step closer to finding Tony."

"But Boss, there are too many. It'll take hours to weed through them all!"

"Then I suggest you get started," Gibbs replied shortly. He glanced at the monitor, hoping he hadn't just condemned his agent to death.

**. . .**

"What did you tell him?" Salir asked in a low voice.

"Nothing."

Salir roughly finished tying the agent's hands and hoisted him up. "What. Did. You. Tell. Him." He said in a growl.

"Only that you and your friends are planning something with a dock and a helicopter. That's all I heard." Salir eyed him suspiciously.

"That shouldn't affect our plans at all. You gave them virtually nothing to go on."

"What exactly are you planning?"

Salir smiled, amused. He began walking toward the desk. "Normally, I would not be so foolish as to divulge my master plan to the enemy," Salir said as he reached for a drawer. Tony panicked for a moment, thinking Salir had discovered his phone. But instead, Salir opened a different drawer, withdrawing a long, sharp knife. "But under these circumstances, I think it's safe. It's not as if you'll live to tell anyone."

He ran his fingers across the shiny blade. "As you know, the Loker family is wealthy, to say the least. In my profession, wealth is a necessary asset, but one not easily obtained. Stealing money from a bank or a person's home is such a low-life way of doing so, don't you agree? My men and I- We think outside the box."

"Are you saying that you're ok with kidnapping, but thievery is below you?" Tony asked incredulously.

"We are not common criminals, Mr. DiNozzo. We do not get money to fulfill selfish desires. We have specific purposes which fit into our 'grand scheme' if you will. We are very civil and justified in our actions."

"You call governmental overthrow and the slaughter of innocent people _civil and justified_?"

Salir's eyes flashed. "When necessary, yes. As I was saying, the Lokers are willing to pay a hefty sum for the return of their daughter. At the exchange today, when they give us that money, we will thank them and leave. They, unfortunately, will not. A helicopter will be waiting a couple hundred yards away, and as soon as we are aboard, the entire dock will be destroyed in a tragic, _accidental_ explosion. The source of said explosion will never be discovered, and sadly the Loker family will perish. A sad demise, but nothing to investigate. A case will never be opened, and we will be able to complete our plan."

"Where is this dock? Because if it's anywhere near our jurisdiction, my team will find you and stop you," Tony said.

"Don't worry about that, Agent DiNozzo," Salir said with a grin. "The exchange will be held at Dock 41B in Petersville. It's an abandoned area, but occasionally families come to enjoy the view. That's what the Lokers have been instructed to tell anyone who inquires about their whereabouts. It was easy to make them bend to our desire. People with something to lose are so weak, so easy to manipulate. It's quite wonderful."

"Manipulating people is not wonderful, you scumbag. And killing an innocent family for money is disgusting. You sicken me. I can hardly look at you, you heartless bastard," Tony said angrily.

Salir's lips curled into a sadistic smile.

"I want you to look at me as I do this."

"Do what?"

With that, Salir braced his arm against Tony's back and plunged the large blade into his abdomen.

As the blade sliced through his flesh, Tony saw the evil joy in Salir's eyes. He gasped as the blade entered his body. Salir gave a small laugh before cutting the rope around Tony's wrists.

"I'm going to complete the transaction now, Mr. DiNozzo. It will be finished within the hour. I don't expect you to last the next 20 minutes."

"You...don't know me…v-very well, then," Tony gasped out.

"We shall see. I've placed a guard outside the warehouse. He is armed with a semi-automatic weapon. You will not be leaving. It won't take you long to bleed out. In your final moments, perhaps you will see that this all had to happen. Agent Gibbs caused me to suffer a great loss, and that debt had to be repaid. Goodbye, Agent DiNozzo." With a sneer, Salir exited the room, leaving Tony behind in a pool of his own blood.

**. . .**

As soon as he was sure Salir and his men were gone, Tony took a deep breath and dragged his profusely bleeding body over to the desk. With trembling hands, he grabbed his cell phone out of the drawer. Blood slid across the surface of the keys as he dialed. After one ring, a voice answered.

"Gibbs."

"B-Boss…it's Tony."


	6. Chapter 5

**AN: Wow! 50 reviews in less than 24 hours! Thank you all so much! I never expected the outpouring to come so quickly and with such enthusiasm! Your reviews were all super-encouraging and I appreciate it more than words can express. **

* * *

Gibbs was hovering over McGee's shoulder, eyeing the computer screen.

"I don't think we're getting anywhere, Boss."

"Keep trying."

At that moment, Gibbs's cell rang. He grabbed it and answered impatiently.

"Gibbs."

"B-Boss…it's Tony." The voice was quiet and strained.

"DiNozzo, what's going on? McGee! Trace DiNozzo's cell now!"

"N-no, Boss. The girl, Emily. D-dock 41B in Peters-" a sharp intake of breath interrupted his sentence, followed by a deep, wet cough.

Back in the dark, cold room, Tony looked at his hand, seeing what he had just coughed up. Blood. _Shit, shit, shit. Not yet. Gotta tell them about the Lokers…_

"DiNozzo? DiNozzo!" Gibbs said worriedly.

"S-sorry, Boss." Speaking was an obvious struggle, and each breath rattled and caught in Tony's throat. "P-Petersville, Dock 41B. That's where…they're d-doing the exchange. They…p-plan on taking the money…and hopping a chopper…then blowing up…the wh-whole dock. You h-have to stop them."

"Don't worry about that, DiNozzo. We'll send another team out. We've got your location, and we're on our way."

"NO. You're the only team who can handle it. S-Salir and his men…are crafty…really smart. Y-you need to g-go. I'll be-" A fit of coughing and wheezing took over. Taking a few shaky breaths, Tony continued, "I'll be fine. Just…get Emily…The Lokers…are the p-priority."

"Where are you hurt, Tony?" Gibbs asked gently, concern laced in every word.

"It doesn't matter! You n-need…to go…now! Salir is on his w-way. We can't afford to w-waste time t-talking." Tony was breathing heavily, struggling to catch his breath. _Since when had talking become so exhausting?_

"Fine then, I'll send an ambulance," Gibbs said, frustrated.

"You can't. S-Salir placed…a guard…outside. He's got a semi-automatic. T-There's no way he'll let an EMT through."

"Tony," Gibbs said, struggling for words, "I can't…I can't just…"

"I'll be here waiting, Boss. Just get the Lokers."

Gibbs closed his eyes for a moment. "You're going to be fine, Tony. If not, I'll head slap you so hard, you won't remember who you are. Just hold on. As soon as we get that bastard, we're coming for you."

"I know, Boss. I know," Tony said weakly. "I have to go now, Boss."

Tony's voice was small and quiet, as if he was drifting farther and farther away.

"See you soon, Tony." Gibbs quickly hung up, and the team was out the door and on the road in under a minute.

**. . .**

Tony looked down at his blood-soaked body. He had a sinking feeling that no matter how fast Gibbs drove or how long it took to apprehend Salir and his men, it wouldn't be fast enough. Each breath became more difficult and he frequently found himself choking on blood. With each pulse of his heart, more blood flowed from the hole in his stomach.

Honestly, he was surprised at how much of the deep red liquid his body contained. _It's like I stumbled into a scene from "Carrie". Or "Halloween". The knife definitely bore some resemblance._ He let out a pained laugh at the thought. _I always thought it would end heroically. I always thought I'd play the valiant savior, who saves everyone only to be slain by his mortal enemy. I never thought I'd die the helpless victim in some B-horror movie._

He squeezed his eyes shut and focused on breathing. In, out. In, out. _Good_, Tony thought. _Now I just have to keep this going until Gibbs gets here._

**. . .**

The car was silent as Gibbs, Ziva, and McGee drove at the speed of light toward the dock. The tension was palpable and each of their faces were strained in concern. Gibbs slammed the brakes as Dock 41B came hurtling into view.

In a flash, the team was out of the car, sprinting towards the helicopter that was grounded about 150 yards from where the exchange was taking place. Gibbs squinted at the figures. There was Salir, flanked by a man on each side. Standing next to one of the men was Emily Loker. Her clothes were grimy and she looked a little roughed up, but seemed to be unharmed. Her wrists were tied behind her back and she was gagged. Mr. and Mrs. Loker stood a few yards away, holding a large suitcase.

Gibbs quickly hopped in the helicopter and knocked out the pilot. Taken unawares, he was easily overcome. Gibbs grabbed his gun and made his way toward Salir and his men. McGee and Ziva did the same, from opposite directions.

They were now mere feet away from them. They had Salir surrounded. Gibbs gave the signal and all three agents stepped out of the shadows, weapons drawn.

"NCIS. Freeze."

Salir whipped around, obviously in shock. He began to put his hands up, and then shouted, "Now!" His men opened fire and McGee, Ziva, and Gibbs dove to take cover.

"McGee, Ziva, take the guards! I've got Salir!" Gibbs shouted.

The two agents did so, their fights taking them separate ways. Salir began sprinting toward the nearest building, a small storage garage. Gibbs took off after him. Following Salir in, Gibbs's instincts had him dive to the ground, narrowly missing a bullet.

Well, not completely. The wet warmth and slight sting on his arm told him the bullet had grazed him. The graze wasn't deep, though. _Close call_, Gibbs thought. He opened fire on Salir, using it as a distraction to help him get closer. He was only a few feet away…WHAM. A swift roundhouse kick lifted Gibbs off his feet and sent him flying painfully through the air. In the process of kicking Gibbs, Salir had dropped his gun and it went skittering across the floor. Gibbs reacted with catlike reflexes, rolling over and snatching the weapon.

"Gotcha," Gibbs said with a smile. Salir's face fell. "Aram Salir, you are under arrest for the kidnapping of a minor, the garnering of illegal funds, and the attempted murder of a federal agent."

At the last part, Salir sneered. "Attempted? I'm quite sure I succeeded in the murder of your agent, Mr. Gibbs."

"You wish. He called not long ago to inform us of your plan. That's why we're here. As soon as our backup arrives, we're going to the shithole you were keeping my agent in, and we're taking him home."

Salir laughed. "Your agent has an 8-inch hole in his stomach. I stabbed him just before I left, about-" Salim checked his watch, "30 minutes ago. There is no way Mr. DiNozzo is alive, Agent Gibbs. Judging by the amount of blood loss before I left, he died before you even got here."

At the look of shock and horror on Gibb's face, Salir laughed uncontrollably. "You didn't know that, did you? I suppose Agent DiNozzo didn't tell you…What a brave, foolish man." Gibbs glared furiously at the man in front of him. Hands trembling in rage, he slammed the butt of his gun into Salir's head. Just hard enough to make him crumple to the ground, unconscious.

He heard the sirens in the lot, signaling the arrival of their backup. With one last disgusted look at the unconscious man on the ground, he left the building, meeting McGee and Ziva in the parking lot. Both looked uninjured, aside from some bumps and bruises.

"We have to go. Now. DiNozzo's in a lot more trouble than we thought."

They hopped in the car and Gibbs peeled out onto the road. He told McGee to call an ambulance and give them Tony's location.

_Hold on, DiNozzo. Almost there. Don't you dare give up on us._

**. . .**

As Tony lay on the cold ground, almost his entire life-force drained from his body, he looked completely still. Inside, however, a battle was raging. Tony was fighting violently against the darkness that threatened to consume him. It took all the strength he had to keep it at bay. Hold on. Just another breath, he told himself. Gibbs will be here soon.

As hard as he tried, he could still feel himself losing the battle. He hardly had the strength to open his eyes, and when he did, the edges of his vision were tinted with gray. His breath came in short, shaky rasps.

Tony was just noticing how numb his body was becoming as he heard distant footsteps.


	7. Chapter 6

**AN: Thank you all very much for the reviews! They encourage me greatly. Every day, when I open my inbox, I can't help but smile. Please keep them coming!!! Thanks again!**

* * *

Gibbs came hurtling through the door and froze at the sight before him. A pale, unmoving body lay on the floor in front of him, in a huge pool of blood. Tony's eyes were closed and he was lying on his back, hand resting feebly over his wound.

"Tony!" Gibbs cried, kneeling beside his agent. He felt a brief surge of relief as the agent's eyes flickered open. His eyelids drooped and his eyes were cloudy, but Tony managed to focus on Gibbs's face.

"H-hey, B-Boss," Tony rasped out. "About…t-time you…showed up." He tried to smile, but couldn't. All he could manage was a lopsided smirk which came off as more of a grimace.

"Sorry about the holdup, DiNozzo. We had some stuff to take care of."

"You…got him, r-right?" Tony said quietly.

"Of course."

Tony looked at his boss more closely, seeing his arm. "You're…b-bleeding," he said with concern.

Gibbs laughed. "Yeah, so are you, in case you didn't notice."

Tony grimaced. Just then, Ziva and McGee came sprinting into the room. Both gasped and went pale when they saw Tony.

Gibbs looked up quickly. "You got the guard?" They nodded silently, their eyes not leaving their fallen partner. "Knocked him out," McGee whispered.

Tony's breathing hitched and his face was pinched in concentration, trying to control it. Gibbs put one hand on Tony's forehead, while the other kept pressure on his wound. He cringed when he felt the layer of perspiration. It was as if Tony had run a marathon, yet all he was trying to do was breathe.

"Hold on, DiNozzo. Help will be here soon," Gibbs said, trying to reassure both his agent and himself. "McGee, go check on that ambulance! They needed to be here 10 minutes ago!" McGee scurried out.

Tony's eyes kept closing, then opening momentarily, before closing once more. His breathing had slowed so much that the rise and fall of his chest was barely visible.

"Stay with me, DiNozzo. You need to keep fighting. I know you're tired, but-" Gibbs stopped mid-sentence as they heard a yelp from McGee and a commotion in the hallway. Ziva was out the door in a millisecond.

Gibbs looked from the peaked face of his senior agent to the hallway, where an obvious struggle was taking place. An inner conflict was brewing inside. _Ziva and McGee are in trouble…they need my help. But I can't just leave Tony here._

"Go," Tony said in a whisper. Even clouded with pain and fatigue, his eyes locked Gibbs's in an intense gaze. In that gaze, his message was clear. In that one word, he had exercised a sort of desperate authority over Gibbs.

With a last look at his agent, Gibbs squeezed Tony's shoulder and said firmly, "Hang in there, DiNozzo. I'll be back." He ran out the door.

Tony watched his boss's back disappear into the hallway. He prayed his friends would make it out ok, even if he wouldn't. Tony drew a final, long breath and released it, surrendering to the darkness. The same darkness which he had been fighting so hard. He couldn't imagine why. The unknown black was strangely comforting. It didn't hurt in the blackness. The blazing pain in his abdomen, the pounding in his head, the sting of each intake of air…It was all gone. _It's better here_, Tony thought. And with that, Tony DiNozzo's heart ceased to beat.

**. . .**

Gibbs leapt into the ongoing fight, landing a few punches on the guard. Ziva was recovering from a blow to the head, stumbling a bit before regaining her composure. McGee was trying to wrestle the guard's gun away from him.

"I thought you said you took care of him?!" Gibbs shouted angrily.

"I guess we didn't hit him hard enough," McGee said apologetically. "I swear I thought he was-" McGee blocked a punch. "-unconscious."

Gibbs kneed the guard in the gut, then twisted his arms behind his back. "You got handcuffs?" he asked impatiently.

"I do," Ziva said. She grabbed the cuffs from her belt, and threw them to Gibbs. "McGee, keep an eye on him." McGee nodded.

Gibbs and Ziva quickly turned the corner into the room Tony was in. Gibbs's face fell as he saw that Tony wasn't moving. The small rise and fall of his chest had stopped. "Tony!"

In less than a second, Gibbs and Ziva were at Tony's side.

"Dammit, DiNozzo, don't do this to me," Gibbs said, feeling Tony's neck for a pulse. Nothing. No steady beat beneath his fingers. He laid his ear against Tony's chest, willing himself to hear something…_anything_. Nothing. No sound came.

The silence was deafening.

Ziva looked worriedly at Gibbs, panic in her eyes.

"You need to breathe for him, Ziva," Gibbs ordered. He placed his hands on Tony's sternum and used his body weight as leverage to pump his chest. After a round of compressions, he said "Now." And Ziva pressed her lips to Tony's. She forced her air into his lungs. _His lips are so blue_, she thought to herself.

"Come on, DiNozzo! Come on!" Gibbs said, continuing compressions. "You're not gonna let a scumbag like that get the best of you, are you?"

Ziva gave Tony two more breaths. _Wake up, Tony_, she pleaded. _Please._

With each thrust to his chest, Tony's head lolled a little. Other than that, his pale body was completely still.

Another round of breaths and compressions, and Tony was still unresponsive.

"Where's that goddamn ambulance?!" Gibbs shouted, to no one in particular. He was still pumping Tony's heart, keeping the blood flowing.

Ziva's vision was blurred by the tears in her eyes as she breathed into Tony. Gibbs pressed his fingers to Tony's neck, feeling nothing.

"I've been where you are, DiNozzo. I came through for you, now I need you to do the same," Gibbs said, with a note of desperation in his voice. "Dammit, you didn't make it through all this to die in some grimy warehouse! _Breathe_!"

He pounded his fist into Tony's chest before taking a moment to compose himself. He laid his head on his agent's unmoving chest. _Thump_. Gibbs's head shot up. He put his ear over Tony's heart. _Thump…Thump…Thump…_The beat was slow, but it was better than nothing.

A wave of relief washed over Gibbs. "We have a heartbeat, Ziva, but he's still not breathing. Continue the rescue breaths, ok?"

Ziva nodded just as the EMTs came in. They worked over Tony for a few seconds, before loading him onto the gurney and speeding out.

Gibbs followed right behind. "I'm coming with him," he said to the EMT, as they loaded Tony into the ambulance. The paramedics looked hesitant, but realizing they had no time to waste, just nodded.

Gibbs sat next to his senior agent, blue eyes fixed worriedly on the pale face. The paramedics began cleaning the wound and trying to stop the bleeding. After a few seconds, Tony's heart monitor began erratically beeping. The paramedics shouted instructions to each other as a solitary line spread across the screen. Gibbs clenched his trembling hands together. _Not this again, DiNozzo._

**. . .**

Ziva walked out of the room, tears streaming down her face. McGee went to her side. "What's wrong? What's going on? Is Tony going to be ok?" he asked nervously.

Ziva wiped her eyes. "Gibbs and I had to do CPR…we brought him back, but…" Her voice cracked, "He looks pretty bad."

McGee tried to mask the shock he felt. Tony had always seemed so…invincible. The thought of his heart stopping, of him actually _dying_… He pushed the thought out of his mind and grabbed Ziva's arm.

"Come on, let's follow the ambulance," he said gently. "We'll call Abby and Ducky on the way to let them know what's going on." They hopped in the car and took off flying down the road, both silently worrying for their fallen colleague.

**. . .**

Gibbs watched the nurses and doctors flock around Tony's gurney, ushering it into the Trauma area. He began to push his way through the doors when a nurse pulled him back.

"I'm sorry, sir. No one's allowed back there, not even family."

Gibbs gave the woman his best and most intimidating stare, but she stood resolutely in front of him. The woman's eyes softened a bit. "I know you're worried, sir. But the best thing for Mr. DiNozzo right now is for you to have a seat in the waiting room and let the doctors do their jobs."

Knowing she was right, but not wanting to admit it, Gibbs just spun around and sat in one of the comfortable chairs in the waiting room.

He buried his face in his hands, unable to forget the image of DiNozzo in the ambulance. The hum of the defibrillator charging up. The way Tony's body jerked when they shocked him with the paddles…They had almost lost Tony twice. That was twice too many in Gibbs's book.

He leaned back in the chair, preparing for the rest of the team's arrival.

**. . .**

A few minutes later, Ziva and McGee came rushing through the door, both their faces tense with fatigue, and more so, concern. Upon seeing Gibbs, they sat in the chairs next to him.

Ziva opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, Gibbs said, "He flatlined in the ambulance, but they brought him back. He's in Trauma now. They won't let us see him, but they'll send someone to talk to us as soon as they have news."

Ziva's lip trembled and McGee's face was pale. As they took a moment to digest the information, Abby, Ducky and Palmer came crashing into the waiting room, Abby leading the pack. Her eyes were wild with panic. She came sprinting up to the group, almost running McGee over in the process.

"Where is he? Is he gonna be ok? 'Cause I know he's not ok now, that's obvious, especially after the way McGee sounded on the phone. He wouldn't say what exactly was wrong but his voice was all low and haggard-like. So just how not-ok is he? I assume it's not good- I mean you should have _heard_ McGee's voice, and I don't think it was just the bad connection. Plus, we're in the waiting room, not with Tony, which is where we would be if he wasn't hurt that bad. How bad is he hurt exactly? And why aren't you with him, Gibbs? You're his next of kin, they should let you back there- I'll go talk to them," Abby said, taking a huge breathe after the long flurry of words. She spun around and began walking toward the large circular desk, when Gibbs's strong arm held her gently back.

"Abs," he said, looking straight into her eyes. "You need to calm down. Tony's in Trauma now. The doctors are taking good care of him and they'll give us news as soon as they have any."

"So what happened?" Abby asked quietly.

"He was stabbed," Gibbs said, his eyes not leaving hers.

Abby's face brightened. "Well that's not so bad! I mean-yeah it's bad, but Tony's been stabbed before. He showed me the scars! He said he barely felt it and recovered really quickly." Her eyes shone with hope.

Gibbs's gaze softened, and he said quietly, "It's not like that, Abs." Her eyes looked at him questioningly. "He was stabbed with an 8-inch knife. He bled out for at least 40 minutes before we got to him…probably more. His heart has stopped twice since." Gibbs squeezed Abby's hand sympathetically. "We're gonna be here for a while, Abs. You want to grab some coffee with me?" Abby nodded silently, tears spilling over her eyes. Gibbs gently led her down the hall.

Ducky, Palmer, McGee, and Ziva sat quietly, each of them lost in thought, worry present in all their faces.


	8. Chapter 7

**AN: Thanks for the reviews! I appreciate the feedback. Please keep it coming!!! ****The end is in sight and it would be my dream come true if this story reached 100 reviews. But that is more of a request than a demand, so don't panic :)**

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* * *

**A few hours later, and Gibbs was pacing the room. The rest of the team was wringing their hands.

"What the hell is taking so long?" Gibbs growled impatiently. "It's been hours! We can't just sit here and wait all day! There must be some kind of news by now."

Right on cue, a doctor walked in, dressed in mint green scrubs and a white coat. "Are you here for Mr. DiNozzo?" he asked.

They all nodded and Gibbs said, "What's going on, doctor? What is taking so damn long?"

The doctor's soft, brown eyes locked with Gibbs's icy blue ones. "My name is Dr. Harrison. Mr. DiNozzo had substantial blood loss. Thankfully, the blade missed most of his vital organs, most importantly his liver. He went into surgery and we repaired most of the damage."

Gibbs didn't miss the hesitation in Dr. Harrison's voice. "_Most_ of the damage?"

"Well, there were complications. He coded twice during the surgery and was down for awhile the second time." Abby gasped, and Gibbs stiffened slightly. Seeing their reactions, Dr. Harrison quickly interjected, "But with the amount of blood loss coupled with shock, on top of all his other injuries, his system was bound to be weakened. His body is fighting off an infection, so his temperature is a little higher than we would like. The important thing is that he's back now. These next 24 hours are critical, but if he survives the night, I'm very hopeful about his recovery."

"_If_? He _will_. I know he will," Abby said fiercely.

The doctor smiled. "Judging from what I've been told, I must agree. Never before have I seen a man bleed out for so long with such a serious injury, and not only stay alive, but stay conscious. Mr. DiNozzo is obviously a very strong young man."

"He is," Gibbs said simply." _Just wish I could say it to him_. "What are his other injuries?"

"Nothing life-threatening, thankfully, but nothing pleasant either. I assume he's suffered some sort of beating? He has 3 broken ribs. One was very near puncturing his lung, but we fixed it before it could. He also has a concussion from repeated blows to the head. His nose was broken. We set that. We also set his arm, where he fractured his radius. His previously dislocated shoulder was reset, albeit roughly. It caused minor damage when it was popped back into place, but nothing irreversible. His bruising, though extensive, is superficial. Aside from slight bruising to his kidney, no internal damage was done. There was slight damage to his nervous system, most likely caused by some kind of electrical current travelling through his body. It's not serious and only temporary, but he'll be shaky for the next few days."

Gibbs stood a moment, letting the information sink in. "Can we see him?" he asked quietly. His voice was rough.

Dr. Harrison hesitated, but then said, "He's in ICU, Room 9. Be gentle. If I didn't think it might help him, I wouldn't recommend visitors, but I think Mr. DiNozzo could use the support of people who care about him…especially tonight."

"Is he conscious?" Ziva asked.

"We gave him some mild sedatives, but he should be awake fairly soon. I'm not sure how lucid he'll be, but at least he'll know you're there. We would've given him enough painkillers and sedatives to keep him out for awhile, but his body has suffered enough trauma. We don't want to depress it any more than we have to."

"Thank you, Dr. Harrison," Gibbs said. He spun on his heel and began walking toward the ICU. Dr. Harrison stopped him and said, "One more thing, Mr. Gibbs.

"I know you're well aware of the extent of Mr. DiNozzo's injuries, but it's important that you and your team are careful with him. When he wakes, he will be in a lot of pain….extreme pain. Tonight will decide his fate. He is not out of the woods yet, Mr. Gibbs. Not by a long shot. If he is strong enough to survive the night-"

"He is," Gibbs adamantly interrupted.

Dr. Harrison sighed. "I understand. I just want to make sure you know that this will be the most difficult 24 hours for Mr. DiNozzo."

Gibbs let out a small laugh. "If you knew what he's been through in the last 24 hours, you might disagree. But I understand, doctor. Thank you."

With that, Gibbs and his team headed down the hall.

**. . .**

As they walked into the room, everyone went silent. Tony was paler than the white sheets on top of him. There were all kinds of tubes leading to various parts of his body. They were connected to bags and machines. One especially obvious bag was the one full of blood. You couldn't miss that one.

Tony's chest was moving up and down slowly and his brow was covered in a thin layer of perspiration. His arm was in a sling and medical tape covered the bridge of his nose. Lying so still in the bed, he looked weaker than ever.

"He looks worse than he did in the warehouse," Ziva said quietly.

"Yeah, well at least now he's breathing," Gibbs said in reply. He sat in one of the two chairs by Tony's bed. Abby quickly set up camp in the other. They all stared silently at their friend. The only sound was the soft beeping of the heart monitor.

Gibbs stared down at his favorite agent, the man who had managed to squirm his way into Gibbs's heart. A million thoughts were racing through Gibbs's mind. As well as a million emotions. The predominant one being guilt. _It's my fault you're here, Tony…It should be me lying in this bed. I'm sorry you had to pay for my mistakes. You should have never gotten caught in the middle._

Abby gently placed her hand in Tony's and began talking quietly to him. For a few minutes, the only sounds were the machines an Abby's voice reciting anything and everything she could think of, interesting and boring.

"Remember the cute girl from the Tech Department? The one you were telling me about? She was asking about you the other day." Tony began to softly stir. Everyone fixed their eyes intently on him, waiting for him to wake.

"Keep talking, Abby," Gibbs instructed.

"Um, so..She asked me how well I knew you and I told her I knew you really well. We got talking about you and I was telling her about how you were gonna go pro in football, but you broke your leg in the second quarter of the championship game. She was really impressed. I think you have a new admirer."

The silence in the room was tense. Until a hoarse voice, barely more than a whisper, cracked out, "Fourth."

Everyone's eyes flew to Tony. "It was…the fourth quarter," he said. His eyes cracked open and strained to focus on someone or something in the room.

Gibbs smiled. "Welcome back, DiNozzo."

Tony took a moment to survey his surroundings. _White…lots of white…heaven? No, Gibbs and everyone else is here…unless we're all dead. But why would Abby be talking about football? Tell me heaven isn't an eternity of Abby talking...I mean I love her, but a whole eternity? There's no way I did something to deserve that. Unless this isn't heaven...Where is it then? Oh, of course…hospital…guess I'm not dead after all. _The events of the day flooded his mind. He winced as he was reminded of the pain. _Why the hell does it still hurt so much?_

Gibbs saw Tony wince, more than likely in response to the pain. Tony's face was flushed and his eyes seemed confused.

"You're in the hospital, Tony."

"Yeah, gathered that much, Boss," Tony replied, struggling to move. He weakly pushed his weight onto his arms, attempting to sit up. The shockwave of pain it sent through his body made him involuntarily gasp. The little color he had in his face drained and his eyes pinched shut.

"DiNozzo! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Gibbs shouted. Though his default reaction was anger, concern was the only thing he was feeling.

"S-Sorry, Boss," Tony gasped out. "I just…wasn't expecting…"

"The pain? That's what I was about to tell you, Tony. The doctors did a real good job of patching you up, but they didn't want to give you too many painkillers. They said you're gonna be in quite a bit of pain for the next 24 hours or so."

"So I'm gonna live?" Tony said with a slight smile.

"You'd better, DiNozzo. I can't afford to be a man short. Too much paperwork." Gibbs tried to downplay Tony's condition, as Tony himself would do. But being the perceptive investigator he was, Tony noticed.

"What did the doctors say exactly? What are my odds?" Tony asked uneasily. He clenched his fists and jaw, hoping to dispel the wave of pain and nausea that just came over him.

Gibbs hesitated, but remembering that Tony wouldn't be there if it wasn't for him, decided to be honest. "They said the next 24 hours are critical, but you should make a full recovery after they're over." Tony's eyes darkened slightly. "But since when do you go by 'the odds', DiNozzo? You sure as hell didn't pay statistics any attention when you contracted the damn plague."

Tony smiled weakly, not wanting to recall that period of his life. For the first time, he looked at the other people in the room.

"Hey, Zee-vah," Tony said playfully. A boyish glint masked the pain in his eyes.

"Hello, Tony. Good to see you not bleeding out all over the floor."

Tony wrinkled his nose. "Thanks, Ziva. How you doing over there, McGoogle? You look like you've seen a ghost. And I'm pretty sure I'm not dead…at least not yet."

Gibbs shot Tony a sharp look and McGee's face flushed as he tried to cover the look he'd had. "I'm, uh, good. Can't complain."

"Good to-" A sharp intake of breath interrupted his thoughts. "Mmm…good to hear," he said, releasing a deep breath.

Gibbs saw that Tony's pain had intensified. Knowing it wasn't a good time for conversation, he said, "Maybe DiNozzo should rest. Why don't you all take a break. Get some sleep, or at least some coffee."

Abby began to protest, but Gibbs shot her a "don't ask questions" look, so she stood up. "I'll be back later, Tony. If you need me, I'll be right in the waiting room."

Ducky leaned down and whispered, "Hang in there, Anthony." Palmer waved from the corner of the room.

McGee and Ziva lingered somewhat uncomfortably at the foot of Tony's bed. "We just wanted to say…well, we should have…we didn't…" McGee stuttered. Ziva stepped in, saying, "We were careless at the warehouse. We thought we disabled the guard, but we didn't. And it could have cost you…well, if we had-"

"No worries, you two. Everyone screws up sometimes, and it's just lucky that it was only me caught in the crosshairs of this particular mistake."

"But Tony-"

"I said no worries. Now scurry along before I sic Gibbs on you!" Gibbs raised his eyebrows. "Or…not," Tony covered.

Ziva and McGee smiled and shook their heads, exiting the room. Gibbs examined his agent through narrowed eyes. Tony's offhand comment about being lucky it was him to get "caught in the crosshairs" bothered Gibbs, but he figured he'd give the kid a break before questioning him about it.

He sat with Tony for a few minutes, picking up a magazine and flipping through it. He eyed DiNozzo discreetly, noticing the lines of pain appearing on his face. He also noticed that his breathing had picked up, his breath coming out in tight gasps. Gibbs put the magazine down and laid his hand on Tony's shoulder, gently shaking him. "Hey, DiNozzo, you all right? Should I call a nurse?"

Tony's eyes opened and he said with a smirk, "Only if she's hot, Boss."

Gibbs rolled his eyes. "Tough luck, DiNozzo. It's a male nurse."

"Damn."

Gibbs noted with concern the way Tony's limbs- hell, his entire body- trembled. _The doctor wasn't kidding about the nervous system damage._

Seeing Gibbs eyeing his shaking, Tony asked, "Why am I doing that? I feel like I have Parkinson's…"

"Yeah, the doc said the electric shocks messed with your muscles a little."

With a thoughtful nod, Tony closed his eyes again. His fists clenched as a fresh new pain stung his body. _Ouch…_

Gibbs silently grabbed a small cup of water from the bedside table. "Maybe this'll help."

"I don't think so, Boss," Tony said weakly. He struggled to take a deep breath. He suddenly felt very hot…

"What are you feeling, DiNozzo?

"H-Hot…really hot. And my chest kinda hurts….along with everything else…" Tony said through clenched teeth.

That sent a wave of worry through Gibbs. DiNozzo was never one to be honest about injuries…He could be missing half his brain, guts hanging out, and he'd still be saying, "Oh, I'm _fine_, Boss. Really!" If he was actually telling Gibbs the truth about how he was feeling, his defenses were a lot more weakened than Gibbs thought.

"Is there anything I can do?" Gibbs asked.

"Um, I don't think so," Tony said, face pinched. "Do you mind if I don't talk for awhile? I'm a little nauseous…"

Gibbs tried to mask his concern. "You, not talk, DiNozzo? I've been waiting for that since the day I met you."

Tony gave a weak smile as his eyes drooped closed. Gibbs looked down at Tony, so unguarded, so vulnerable. All the defenses and fronts he had put up for so long were crumbling. The mask he constantly wore had vanished. The man Gibbs was looking at wasn't the Tony DiNozzo he thought he'd known for so long. The man before him was lonely, broken, jaded by pain. Gibbs silently cursed himself for never noticing…for never knowing the man who always had his six. Tony had always been willing to put himself in harm's way if it meant saving one of his teammates.

Come to think of it, Tony was _always_ the one who volunteered himself. Whether it was an undercover mission or simply offering himself up in exchange for someone else, Tony always laid his life on the line. Almost to the point of recklessness. Gibbs thought back to Tony's comment about how lucky it was that only he suffered as a result of McGee's and Ziva's mistake. He looked down at Tony's pale face.

"Feeling any better, DiNozzo?"

Tony opened his eyes and said shakily, "A little…Still kinda woozy."

"Look, Tony…It's my fault you're in this position. Salir was pissed at me and you had to suffer for it. You shouldn't be here, and I just wanted to say -between friends- I'm sorry."

Tony shook his head. "Nah, Boss. None of this is your fault. If anything, it's my fault. I mean, I've been an agent for over 7 years and I was a cop before that. And I couldn't even spot an assailant in a 5-by-7 elevator. But oh well. It's better me here than you," Tony finished matter-of-factly.

Gibbs stared at him incredulously. Tony was looking elsewhere, but feeling Gibbs's eyes still on him, he turned. "What?"

"Why do you do that?"

"Do what? Talk? Well, I suppose that's a good question…I find talking a good icebreaker, especially with the ladies-"

"Not talking, DiNozzo. Why do you always put yourself down? Why do you act like you don't matter to anyone?"

Tony looked out the window, not meeting Gibbs's gaze. "Well, Boss…because…I don't."

The resignation in Tony's voice tore at Gibbs's heart. How could he think that? Gibbs answered his own inquiry. _Because you've never given him any reason to think otherwise_.

"Look, Tony…I know I don't…well, I really do…" Gibbs struggled to find the right words.

Tony cut him off. "Don't sweat it, Boss." Tony plastered a smile on his face. The mask was firmly back in place. "With all due respect, you look pretty terrible. Why don't you get yourself some coffee? I'm not going anywhere."

Gibbs opened his mouth to say something, but realizing he had no clue what, closed it again. He stood up, saying, "Fine, but I'll be back. Ten minutes tops."

He exited the room, troubled, but in desperate need of some caffeine.

Tony watched his Boss walk out, allowing his mask to slip for a moment as moisture formed in his eyes. Quickly wiping it away, he took a deep breath, tensing against the throbbing ache reverberating throughout his body. _It's going to be a long night…_


	9. Chapter 8

Sitting at the small table in the vending machine room, Gibbs rubbed his eyes. It had been a tiring night thus far, and was doomed to get worse. He absentmindedly rubbed his arm, flinching when he made contact with his wound. The EMTs had quickly wrapped it in gauze after stabilizing Tony, but it was seeping through.

"I think now is a good time to get that stitched up, Jethro," a voice said from behind Gibbs.

"I've got to get back to Tony, Duck, but maybe later."

"It'll take no more than 5 or 10 minutes if you cooperate. Come on, Jethro. Anthony isn't going anywhere."

"He said the same thing, but how do you know? You heard the doctors, they aren't even sure if he'll survive the night. How can I just leave him? He hates hospitals. You know that. I'm not gonna just let him sit there in that room. He's in pain and scared, and I won't let him down…not again."

Ducky peered curiously at his friend. "Again? If you are in any way saying-"

"It's my damn fault he's in here, Ducky! If it wasn't for some stupid grudge against me, he would be in his apartment right now, watching repeats of Magnum P.I. That's where he should be, not in some damn hospital with an 8-inch hole in him, fighting for his life!" Gibbs grabbed the chair and shoved it against the wall.

Ducky placed a sympathetic hand on Gibbs's shoulder. "I understand why you feel this way, Jethro, but blaming yourself isn't going to help Anthony. We both know that. What happened was the cruel hand of fate, and no one is to blame. Thankfully, Anthony is a strong young man, and if things go well, there will be no lasting damage. But right now, we need to support him, and to do that, we all need to be one-hundred percent. So let's get you stitched up."

Gibbs reluctantly nodded and followed Ducky to an examination room, where Ducky cleaned his wound, put in stitches, and rewrapped it in clean gauze.

"Good as new. Would you like me to accompany you to Anthony's room?"

"Nah…I don't think he wants anyone to see him like this."

Giving an understanding nod, Ducky walked out to rejoin the rest of the team in the waiting room.

After taking a deep breath, Gibbs began walking toward Tony's room. He wasn't prepared for the sight he walked in on.

Tony was curled up, almost in a ball. His fists were clenched on the sidebars of the bed, knuckles white. His body was shaking violently, wracked with pain, and he was taking strained, rapid gasps through clenched teeth. His skin was pale, covered in sweat. Tony's whole face was taut and pinched, eyes screwed shut. Blood dripped from his bottom lip, where he was biting down to keep from crying out.

"Tony!" Gibbs cried, rushing to the side of the bed. There was no response from his senior agent. It was as if his pain had escalated him to a whole other world. "Hey, DiNozzo! Open your eyes!"

Scared, shining eyes shot open, full of pain.

"Just hang on, DiNozzo. I'm gonna get a doctor." Gibbs thought he saw Tony nod, but with all the shaking, he wasn't sure. He swiftly ran out of the room, grabbing the closest doctor and pulling him into the room.

"What the hell is going on with my agent?" he shouted at the doctor. Ignoring the question, the man took a quick look at Tony's vitals before gently saying, "Mr. DiNozzo? I need you to lie flat. Can you do that?" The doctor helped straighten out his trembling body, feeling various parts of his body, checking for swelling. "It appears his fever is peaking. We need to get his temperature down, before his wound swells any more. We don't want the stitches to rip out."

He leaned toward Tony. "Mr. DiNozzo, we're going to give you an ice bath. It should numb the pain a bit and it'll bring your fever down." He then turned to Gibbs and said, "I'm going to get a few doctors to help get him in the bath. Just stay with him until we get back." Gibbs nodded.

As the doctor exited the room, Gibbs went over to Tony. The agent's breathing was labored. "You're gonna feel better soon, DiNozzo. Just hold on, ok? Ok, DiNozzo?"

Tony whispered, "I'll try, Boss."

That wasn't good enough for Gibbs. "You won't _try_, DiNozzo, you _will_. Do you understand me? You've come too far to give up on us now, and I'll be damned if you let a fever kill you! You may not think so, but you matter a whole lot to a whole lot of people. That means a lot of people would be upset if you died on us now, including me. So you will not _try_ to hold on. You _will_ hold on. That's an order. You got that, DiNozzo?"

Pleading hazel eyes met icy blue ones. "I gotcha, Boss."

Gibbs gave a satisfied nod, and four doctors came in with a gurney. "Ready to go, Mr. DiNozzo? 3-2-1, lift!" They lifted Tony onto the gurney and wheeled him out. Gibbs collapsed into a chair and buried his face in his hands.

Not a minute later, the team came flying through the door. "What's going on? We saw them wheel Tony out. He looked terrible! Where are they taking him?"

"Tony's fever spiked and it was causing swelling in his wound. They took him to give him an ice bath."

"When did this happen?" Ducky asked.

"When I walked back into the room after I left you, he was in the fetal position. He was shaking bad and was barely coherent. I got a doctor and they took him out."

The team sat dejectedly on the bed and remaining chair. _Great_, they thought. _More waiting._

**. . .**

About an hour later, the doctors wheeled Tony back into the room. His eyes were closed and he was still trembling slightly, but it was less severe and he seemed to have gotten a bit of color back in his face.

"We gave him a mild sedative to help him sleep for awhile. He should be better for the remainder of the night. We got his fever down to 100.3, which is a vast improvement. Though he'll still be in some pain, we're hopeful that the worst is over. We can never be sure, but we're confident Mr. DiNozzo will make a full recovery."

"But I don't understand," Abby said. "He was just in the worst condition he's been in since getting here. And now you're saying he's going to be fine?"

"You know the saying 'things must get worse before they get better'? It's along the lines of that. Mr. DiNozzo's fever and pain level peaked, and now he's begun his journey to recovery. Though it won't be an easy journey by any means, the worst part of the storm has passed. He'll need a few weeks of recovery and physical therapy, then he can be released. We'll keep an eye on his fever and heart rate for the rest of the night, but it'd be very surprising if it spiked again."

"Thank you, doctor," Ducky said. The doctor nodded and walked out of the room.

The team watched Tony softy stir in his bed. Gibbs gazed down at the man.

In his heart, as deep as one had to go to access it, Gibbs knew his agent would be okay. Though the scars of the trauma he had been through, both physical and emotional, would never leave him completely, Tony was surrounded by people who cared about him. People who would help him through any obstacles to come. And though Gibbs sensed there would be more challenges to face, especially in the near future, he was sure that Tony would get through it. Tony DiNozzo was the bravest and most resilient man Gibbs had ever known…and maybe, just maybe, he would start saying it more often. _Maybe_, Gibbs thought with a smile. _We'll see._

He settled into the chair, still smiling, eager for his agent's awakening, yet completely content to watch him peacefully sleep.

* * *

**AN: You thought that was the end, didn't you? Fooled you! Ha-ha, just kidding. One chapter left!**


	10. Epilogue

**AN: Thank you all so much for sticking with me through the story! Considering this was my first FanFic, the response I got was super-encouraging. All the reviews really helped keep my confidence up…thank you all so much!**

* * *

Gibbs stood up from the chair beside Tony's bed and stretched. It had only been a few hours since the doctors had brought Tony back into the room, and he was resting comfortably. Figuring it was a good time for a coffee break, Gibbs walked quietly out of the room.

As tired as he was, Gibbs couldn't help but be overwhelmed with relief. In the past 24 hours, when faced with the mortality of one of his agents, things had surfaced that Gibbs had buried long ago. He'd always known he valued his team, but until today, he could never have guessed how much. Especially DiNozzo. As much as he berated and head-slapped the younger agent, he saw him as family. Today, his paternal instincts had really been put to the test. Though it had been countless years since anyone had been able to access- or even believed in the existence of- Gibbs's vulnerable side, it had truly been exposed in the last few hours. When faced with the possibility of losing his agent forever, Gibbs felt something he hadn't felt in a long time. When he saw Tony, lifeless on the floor of the warehouse, Gibbs felt mind-numbing fear. He had seen Tony hurt before. Hell, earlier that day, he had seen Tony mercilessly tortured. But even through that, Tony had somehow retained his vitality, that spark inside him. There was no spark in the body Gibbs saw on the warehouse floor. Hours and hours had passed since that scene played out, yet Gibbs could not get the image out of his mind.

Settling into one of the breakroom chairs, he grabbed his cell phone out of his pocket. He had turned it off as soon as he got in the ambulance with Tony. He had not been in the mood for interruptions. Gibbs held down the power button, and the screen flashed on. After a few seconds, words appeared on the screen. _One new voicemail_. Gibbs sighed. It was probably from Abby, before she knew what was going on with Tony. He pressed a button and put the phone to his ear.

As the message played, Gibbs grew still, scarcely breathing. His eyes had a distinct glazed-over look to them as he listened. As the message came to a close, the phone slid out of Gibbs's hand. He made no move to pick it up as it clattered to the floor. His system was in complete shock. _No, no, no. This isn't happening. This can NOT be happening…_

Gibbs shook his head and took a deep breath. He bent down to pick up the phone. _Get it together, Jethro._ He put the phone to his ear. The automated voice droned out, "To replay this message, press 1. To delete this message, p-" Gibbs pressed 1 and closed his eyes.

_"Gibbs, it's Fornell. My men and I are at the dock. The area was mostly cleaned up when we got here, and the first responders have two men in custody…but Salir isn't here. We found traces of his blood on the floor of the nearest building, which, according to the other officers, is where you knocked him out. But apparently you didn't hit him hard enough, Jethro. He's gone. The strange thing is, his vehicle is still here. He must have run…pretty damn fast…Not much is making sense right now, but we're doing what we can. We radioed all local PD's but he's a crafty son of a bitch, so the odds of it making a difference are slim to none. I know you're with DiNozzo, but you need to call me as soon as possible. This isn't over, Gibbs…He's still out there."_


End file.
